


I have the Moon, You have the Sun

by Blueismybusiness



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A LOT of Angst, AU sort of, Crying, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Song Lyrics, Tsukishima crying is sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 23:09:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10604214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueismybusiness/pseuds/Blueismybusiness
Summary: Tsukishima anonymously confesses to Hinata through music lyrics. He pines. Hinata has to use google.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: 7/11/17 HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS! 1000 hits! I am without words! I cannot express the joy and humility i feel at seeing how so many people have read this and your encouraging words! Thank you so much for this gift!!! :) 
> 
> This was my first fluff piece. I started an account on a different website but I find the best fics are here. I hope you like it. I tried.
> 
> Also, on the other site people aren't as communicative. I would really like feedback since I am trying to improve. Please leave comments and if I get enough responses I will post some of my other work in progress. 
> 
> Thanks,  
> BIMB (:3)

He has never been good with words. At least, not the nice ones. That's not to say he doesn't know any nice words, it's just he's at a loss when trying to take nice nouns, adjectives, verbs, and forming them into a coherent sentence. It's always been easier to be blunt, sarcastic, and often downright rude, and though his words may grate like handfuls of sand beneath your clothes, he stopped worrying about how those words bothered others along time ago.

That is until those words failed him, too.

It's not that he doesn't have anything to say, now. It's more like he doesn't know how to say it.

He blames it all on the sun, or more like the sun personified. At first, the old words came easily enough. A snarky comment here, an insult there. However, given time even moonlight has to give way to the sun and he found his old words flowing less and less easily. He tried to keep them going, tried to feed them with the depths of his vocabulary skills for as long as possible, refusing to give in, but too much time in the sun can make even the deepest wells dry up.

Instead, that old well of words became a spring of new, sweeter words but before they could flow unheeded, he stopped them up behind the most powerful dam he could build, fear. A year and a half later and those new words have pooled until they have become a vast sea, exerting so much pressure on his carefully constructed facade, threatening to break it with the slightest provocation. He could no longer ignore the warnings.

He has tried. Early on he didn't understand them so it was easy to forget them. Then he tried to intellectualize them into obscurity. Later he cursed them before finally just flat out ignoring them. But you can only ignore the glaring danger signals for so long, and so, he finally came to accept them. And it sucked. Not the most eloquent description but still the most adequate. However, acceptance hasn't taken him out of the danger zone. He still needs to use them, to empty the sea of words before the dam collapses on him.

Yet, still, he doesn't know how to say them. Plus, as loathe as he is to admit it, he's frightened. That's probably what has him so tongue tied. Fear. Why is he afraid? Because to use these words aloud means he has hope and one thing he learned a long time ago is that hope is a lie.

Hope is a nice word, and he's forgotten how to use nice words.

But the sun is where everything grows and flourishes, and if you look hard enough you can always find an oasis in the dessert.

For now, though, he's still trying to search for the right words.

Then he has an idea. If he can't use his own, perhaps he can use someone else's. It's basically the same thing, right? As long as the intention behind the words is the same?

So, one day, he stops at the little shop in town that sells various gifts including stationary. After searching for an hour he finally settles on a box of 4x6 cream colored paper with envelopes the color of the sun on a late summer afternoon, a deep rust orange. It was perfect.

At home he sets his purchase down at his desk and walks away. He knows what he plans to do but he has to work up to it, so he busies himself with minor chores, dinner, homework, and finally a shower. When everything that can be done is done, he sits at his desk, his laptop open and playing random music from his extensive collection of downloaded songs. Music is his passion. Well, one of three ( the other two being more recent developments) but definitely his oldest. His library is eclectic as they come ranging from traditional Japanese to British rock and pop from the 60s and 70s to more modern J-Pop and Western Indie rock. It's all there. It's what has comforted him through some of the most turbulent times in his life and he's always looking to expand his collection.

This is why he thinks that song lyrics would be the easier way to express these words. Someone else can say what he hasn't been able to express and relieve some of the pressure of the dam before it bursts.

So, he sits at his desk and opens the box of stationary. He pulled out one envelope and one sheet of paper. Luckily his penmanship is very good because even though his hands are shaking as he picks up a fine-tipped pen, he can't afford to make a mistake. The box of stationary was expensive.

He clicks to the first song whose lyrics fit the mood at the moment and puts pen to paper. He set it on repeat to play until he finishes, going slow and taking his time, not wanting to rush the words. When he's finished he carefully places the card within the envelope and licks the seal. He flips it over and in carefully scripted letters writes the name of the receiver. He sets the envelope in his school bag so he won't forget it in the morning then turns out the light and crawls into bed.

He sleeps better than he would have thought.

The next morning he wakes and goes about his usual routine at his usual pace. He's nervous but at the same time relaxed, he feels...peaceful...as if his decision was the right one. He smiles to himself. One bucketful of that vast sea has been transferred. One bucket to relieve the pressure if even just a little.

He's quieter than usual as he walks to school, lost in his thoughts. His closest friend walks silently next to him, as he does every morning, glancing at him every so often. They've been friends long enough that they can tell when something is different but his friend stays quiet, allowing him his privacy. They know that when he's ready to talk about it, he will, and not a moment sooner.

At school he waits by the cubbies where students exchange their shoes daily, until their first class has started and the halls are empty of the bustle. It makes him late, something that never happens, but this is important and he needs the solitude. When the corridors are quiet and he's sure he will not be seen, he takes a deep breath and moves to the cubby belonging to the receiver of the words he has been so desperately trying to hold back. He stops to gaze at the smaller shoes snuggled (haphazardly) in the recess of their shelter and he chuckled. It's so like like the sun, to burn so hot and fast that it pays little attention to anything else. He reaches up a hand and gingerly straightens the shoes, allowing a finger to linger a moment as if touching the sole allows him to touch their soul. His breath is coming in short pants, his heart pounding. He's nervous. No, terrified. Once he does this then it can't be undone and if he's ever found out his life would be over. He hesitates at that thought and almost backs out but the warning bells are ringing loudly telling him that the words will come out eventually and he can control the flow or allow them to overwhelm him. Decided he reaches into his bag and pulls out the orange envelope and slides it next to the shoes. He gives the little cave one last glance before heading to class.

In the shadows of a cubby holding street shoes until their owner returns is an envelope addressed to one, Hinata Shōyō.

-*-

Hinata was energy. Pure, unrefined energy. Everything about him screamed passion, exuberance, and joy from his bright orange-red hair to his golden, amber eyes that glowed with an inward fire, to his blinding, contagious smile. Not many who came within his orbit could withstand his pull, he wouldn't let them anyway. Like the bright star that lights our world, Hinata's gravity pulled you in and you went willingly or kicking an screaming. It was no wonder why his parents gave him a name that included the kanji of the sun; he was the sun, or at least a little living Apollo.

Hinata was a second year at Karasuno High School and the Ace of their volleyball team, a title which he carried proudly. He had worked hard to get where he was, had to endure so many hardships. He had fallen in love with the game during a chance viewing after seeing the Little Giant fighting at the Nationals. He had been young but seeing the Little Giant fly as he did had ignited a passion in him that had still yet to burn out. In middle school he had practiced as if his life depended on it, determined to be a good, if better, spiker than his hero. It had never mattered to him that he practiced alone most days, or that he knew little of how the game was actually played, or that he was short. In his mind, if the Little Giant could fly, then so could he. And he did.

He never made it far in middle school having been defeated, by his now rival and best friend, in his first ever tournament. He was not deterred. He used his failure to spur him on to greater heights and joined his first real team in high school, the same school the Little Giant flew for, determined to become their ace. They had doubted him at first but he quickly showed them how wrong they were and he gained their respect. Well, most of them, but that's neither here nor there. Now, as a second year the mantle of Ace had been passed down to him with the joyful blessing of his former Sempai. He had made it...so far. For Hinata, life was perfect.

Well, mostly. Being a seventeen year old, hormonal teenager and all means he still found himself thinking of things that had little to do with his precious game. It wasn't that he was preoccupied with dating and such, he didn't think about it too often. It was mostly when he was out with friends in town or something and he would see happy couples walking hand-in-hand or kissing that he would find his thoughts turning to curiosity. Hinata had never been kissed before, let alone been confessed to, and his happy-go-lucky little brain never considered much about confessing to anyone. Often enough when he would experience these moments, he would forget them quickly being too caught up in volleyball or his team or his family (school had a low priority). However, that didn't mean those moments didn't leave a shadow in his bright world. Or perhaps a more fitting description being a missing puzzle piece. But, for now, Hinata was content with things as they were and didn't let his consistent single status affect him.

So just imagine Hinata Shōyō, Karasuno's Ace Extraordinaire, bounding into the club room one afternoon before practice yelling about receiving his first ever love letter.

"Jesus, Hinata! Do you have to scream?!" Kageyama Tobio, Karasuno's genius setter, hollered back, scowling at Hinata who stood just inside the door bouncing on the balls of his toes and waving an orange envelope that looked as if had been through a shredder.

Tsukishima Kei snorted. "Who'd give the shrimp a love note?"

"Hey!" Hollered The little orange ball of fire, glaring at his teammate, offended.

"Yeah, Tsukishima! Behave. This is a day to celebrate!" Nishinoya Yuu, their libero and Guardian Diety, declared, hopping over to his Kohai and giving him a congratulatory smack on the back. "Our little ray of sunshine has finally found someone to bask in his light." Tsukishima snorted again. "Hope they don't mind sunburns." Hinata stuck his tongue out at him and Noya ignored him. "Hinata, today you have become a man." He stated, the look of a proud father on his face as he draped an arm over Hinata's shoulder. "I have?" Hinata asked, amber eyes going wide, not quite convinced that being a man had anything to do with love letters.

"I thought you had to have sex first." Tanaka Ryūnosuke, team Captain, interjected as he snatched the letter from Hinata's still waving hand. Noya covered Hinata's ears, "Shhh...not in front of the children." Hinata snatched his head away as he tried to fight Tanaka for his letter. He wasn't having an easy time of it since the upperclassman was bigger and stronger. "I'm not a child, Noya." He retorted defensively while everyone in the club room chuckled. It was a never ending battle for Hinata to defend his honor as a seventeen year old guy and it still irked him when they teased him about his height. Even after nearly two years.

"So, what's this letter say?" Tanaka asked, his hand in Hinata's face as he kept him at bay.

Hinata stopped moving which attracted Tanaka's focus. "I don't know." He said, his face dropping from the excited expression he carried before to a now more somber, thoughtful one. Everyone stopped to look at him.

"What do you mean, you don't know?!" Tanaka exclaimed, doubt on his features. He dug into the envelope.

"Did you take too many balls to the face and forget how to read?" Kageyama teased. They'd been friends long enough that his jibes did not hurt as much. Still Hinata glared at him. "NO, BAKAGEYAMA!" He blushed. "It's in English." He confessed as Tanaka finally freed the note from the shredded envelope. How Hinata had managed to replace the note after destroying the envelope was a mystery to him. Noya peered over Tanaka's shoulder, curious.

He was right. Scrawled out in neat, flowing letters were a bunch of unfamiliar words in a foreign language. Kageyama joined the two, his eyes roaming the words with as much understanding as any of them. "Who the hell would give someone a love letter in a foreign language?!"

"Especially to Hinata who can barely read Japanese." Tsukishima snickered. "Screw you beanpole!" Hinata snapped, glaring at him. He was getting a little irritated with everyone's teasing over this. It was his first love letter, why couldn't they just congratulate him? Especially Tsukishima, he was forever torturing the small boy. He snatched his letter out of Tanaka's hands who had unfortunately let his guard down. "Hey! I was still looking at that!"

"Can you translate it?" Hinata barked at him and Tanaka snapped his mouth shut. Hinata gently put the letter back into the protective shell of what was left of the envelope. "It mine anyway." He said, his expression hurt.

"Hey Hinata," Kageyama put his hand on his shoulder and patted. "Sorry we teased you. It's cool that you got a letter." Everyone nodded in agreement. Except Tsukishima, of course, who just rolled his eyes and continued to change out of his uniform. Hinata beamed at everyone. Tsukishima looked away.

The lanky blonde was the first to finish changing and headed for the door when Hinata grabbed his arm. He looked down at the hand, then at the face, raising an eyebrow. Amber eyes gazed up into his golden-brown ones, a look of pleading making them shimmer. He knew what the shorter was going to ask. "No." He said before Hinata could open his mouth.

"Hah? I didn't even ask, yet!" Hinata upped the shimmer in his eyes, Tsukishima narrowed his and shook him off. "You were going to ask me to translate." It was a statement.

"But only cause you're English skills are so much better!"

"Come on Tsuki, be a sport. It's kinda romantic." Yamaguchi supplied, standing back a few feet, preparing to follow his best friend. The tall blonde turned his molten eyes into his best friend who shrank back, hands up in defense. He turned back to the puppy dog eyes staring up at him from a height of 167.5 cm. He was unmoved. "Come back between the hours of no and never, shrimp. I already waste too much time tutoring you." He flicked Hinata in the forehead before walking off. Hinata stuck his tongue out. "DICK!" He yelled at his retreating form. "Always." Came his usual calm reply. Yamaguchi shrugged his shoulders and followed but stopped just before disappearing down the stairs and turned. "Why don't you ask Yachi? She's pretty good with English too." Hinata beamed with excitement and started bouncing on his toes and rapidly nodding. It was a wonder his head didn't topple off. "Yeah! Thanks, Yamaguchi! That's a great idea!"

Hinata placed the letter in his bag and got dressed, he was gonna ask Yachi as soon as he got to the gym. Within minutes he was following the rest of the team out the door, still bouncing excitedly.

-*-

Yachi happily agreed to help her manic friend, and they made a plan to meet that Saturday after practice. On that day, Hinata found himself in Yachi's apartment, sitting at a low table in her room, both of them crouched over English to Japanese translation books and the letter he'd received. Truthfully, they could have used Google but Yachi, as foreword thinking as she was, figured this would be a good way to tutor Hinata and perhaps raise his English grades.

Hinata yawned and threw himself back into the floor, lying there while he twirled a finger in his hair. They had been translating for two hours already and were on the last phrase. It had been exhausting. "I agree with Kageyama." He voiced, suddenly. Engrossed in the work, Yachi only hummed an acknowledgment. "Hm?"

"Kageyama. He wondered who the hell gives a person a love letter in a foreign language." Hinata sat back up. He was getting hungry again from all this work.

Yachi turned and looked at him. "Well, perhaps there was a specific reason for doing it this way?" Hinata puffed up his cheeks and blew in irritation. "What reason could you have for possibly making a person work so hard?"

Yachi chuckled. The ball of condensed light itself was getting impatient. She knew he was going to need a snack if they were going to ever finish this little project. They had nearly completed it and Yachi was seriously curious what the finished work was trying to express. She put down the book and pencil and stood, stretching, figuring now was as good as any time for a quick break. She needed tea anyway. She walked to her kitchen and filled the kettle before setting it on the stove and turning on the burner. Then she rummaged through the fridge for items to make a small snack with. When she had finished, she carried the kettle, mugs, and food to the table and started serving her friend. Hinata beamed at her. She was good at reading him, he had never even had to asked, after a year and a half she had learned a lot about him. "Let's finish, shall we and then maybe we will have our answers."

Hinata, revitalized after the tea and food, smiled and nodded. They bent back over their work.

Twenty minutes later and they had completed the puzzle. When translated, what they found was a this:

 **Good morning sunshine,**  
**I hope that you're well**  
**Honey I missed you,**  
**Last night when night fell**  
**You should know, sunshine,**  
**You brighten my day**  
**The world gets so dark, love,**  
**When you go away**

 **They say absence makes**  
**The heart grow fonder**  
**But I can't help but wonder**

 **If the darkness came tomorrow,**  
**Could I keep you in my mind?**  
**Where you rise I'll gladly follow**  
**Just for the chance**  
**To stand in your light**

Was it a poem? It certainly read that way if the translation was correct. It was really sweet and Hinata was blushing, his face dark red, his eyes shinning. He was blown away with flattery, no one had ever said anything remotely as beautiful as what he had received on the stationary. Yachi was smiling too, happy that her friend had been given such a wonderful gift.

"I wonder if they wrote it themselves?" Hinata whispered, breathless with pleasure. Yachi read the words again. It certainly sounded like a handwritten poem. "What else would it be?"

Hinata shrugged. It didn't matter. Someone, whoever it was, had given him those words and he planned to treasure them forever.

"I wonder if they will confess to you in person?" Yachi asked. Hinata looked at her, eyes growing as big as the sun itself and just as radiant. "That would be awesome! Do you think they will?" He was nearly vibrating with anticipation. Yachi grinned back at him, caught up in his joy. "Oh, I hope so! I wonder what they're like?!"

"Well, if they can write stuff like this then it wouldn't matter to me what they're like!"

Hinata went home that night, his thoughts clouded with romantic scenarios of dramatic confessions.

-*-

The next morning at practice the team had found Hinata already arrived and practicing serves in the gym. No one was surprised but Kageyama was kind of miffed the runt had flaked on their morning race, the one that had been going on since the second day of their first year.

However, Hinata was in too good a mood to notice Kageyama's dark scowl. It was his normal expression so no one thought too much about it, anyway.

"Hey, Sho," Noya yelled at him. Hinata looked up to see his team all gathering in the gym and Noya jogging over to him. "How long have you been here?" Hinata shrugged, "Two hours maybe?"

"WHAAA!" Exclaimed their captain, Tanaka. "The fuck are you doing here that early?!" An early Hinata was not uncommon, but two hours was even a lot for him.

Hinata had tossed the ball in the air, prepared to send it flying across the gym but caught it instead and turned to his teammates. He tilted his head, and deadpanned. "I couldn't sleep." It was as simple as that to him. "I went for a run and ended up here so I thought I'd practice." People began spreading out to set out equipment for practice.

The first years gazed at him in adoration and Tsukishima clicked his tongue at their obvious hero worship. Noya rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I wanted to ask but did you ever get your letter translated?"

Hinata's face split in half with the grin that overcame it. "Yeah!" The others chuckled at his obvious giddiness. Except Tsukishima, who only laughed or smiled when someone was in pain. His face was impassive as ever but his gaze was intense as it watched the small spiker. Yamaguchi was watching his friend with furrowed brows.

"Well?" Noya insisted, impatient."What did it say?"

Hinata was happy to share, he had committed the whole poem to memory. He recited for his team now. When he had finished everyone was standing, staring at him in awe. Then Noya started squealing like a little girl and tackled the Ace. He scooped his slightly taller teammate up in strong arms and twirled him around exclaiming, "Hinata, that was so beautiful. I'm so jealous!" Hinata was laughing and trying to squirm out of Noya's tight grip. "Noya, I can't breath!" He gasped, giggling. That brought all the others out of their trance and they all congratulated the beaming sun ball or slapping him on his back.

"I know! I know! Isn't it great?!" Hinata was laughing and dancing in his toes. "I never ever expected to get a love letter and then to have it be so romantic!" His face had taken on a rosy hue but not from embarrassment. Even Kageyama was grinning, or grimacing, either way it was hard to scowl when your best friend was so obviously blissful. Kageyama happened to turn around and catch the expressions of Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. Yamaguchi's face was thoughtful and he began to ask what was wrong until he caught the expression on Tsukishima's face. It looked like he was...blushing. The blonde middle blocker took notice of Kageyama's gaze and promptly turned on his heal and headed out the door saying something about a stomach ache. Yamaguchi watched his back as he retreated out of the doors like someone had set him on fire, his shorter, freckled friend's brow furrowed again but deeper.

"Yamaguchi!" The skittish second year jumped when Kageyama hollered at him. "What's with the face?" Kageyama tried to tone down the aggressiveness. He had been trying to work on his approach as of late since there were talks that he'd be taking on the team as captain the following year. Unfortunately, Kageyama was about as friendly as a porcupine and tended to easily scare those who did not know him personally. Well, he tended to scare people anyway, no matter how close they were, but as mentioned, he was trying to work on that.

Yamaguchi recovered and his expression softened to curiosity. "That poem that Hinata recited." Kageyama waited and Yamaguchi continued. "Those words just sounded awfully familiar." Kageyama raised an eyebrow. "You think you might know who wrote them?"

"Um yes, I mean...no. Uh, yes, sorta." Kageyama sighed in exasperation. "What the hell, Yama, spit it out already." His loud voice caught the attention of the other teammates and everyone looked at Yamaguchi. The poor mousey teenager turned a variety of colors as he became the center of attention.

"I-I don't know. Th-they j-just sound familiar, that's all! Like a song or something." He flinched. Hinata stepped forward, confusion clouding his bright face. "You mean, like song lyrics?" Yamaguchi nodded slowly. "Sorry, Hinata. I'm not trying to take away from you happiness." The poor kid looked as if he was about to cry. Hinata beamed at him causing Yamaguchi to stare back in surprise. "It's no problem, Yams. I don't mind. Whether they wrote it themselves or used song lyrics, it's still the most beautiful gift I ever received." Yamaguchi smiled back at him, relief flooding his features.

Coach Ukai arrived and started clapping his hands. The team gathered as they prepared to start practice.

"Hey where's Tsukishima?!" He barked at them.

-*-

The next day another letter showed up in Hinata's cubby. He had gone home after practice the day he revealed the contents of the first and started exploring the internet, searching words and phrases from the poem to see if Yamaguchi's suspicion had been correct. It had been and Hinata discovered it to be a happy song by someone named Alex Day. He had listened to it over and over and had even begun to recognize some of the words he'd learned. It really didn't matter to him that the words had come from a song, he was ecstatic. He listened to it so much that he hummed the tune all the following day, even getting snapped at by Tsukishima for being generally annoying. His mood was such that even Shittyshima's foul attitude couldn't bring him down.

That afternoon, as he was picking up his street shoes before practice, Hinata found he received another letter. He ran all the way to the gym, happily singing about it, while his teammates rejoiced with him. Hinata and Yachi again made plans to translate this one. The flaming ball of energy couldn't wait. He was so excited that he had a more productive practice, and even Kageyama complimented him on his performance. The letters made him feel like he could fly.

In a matter of two weeks Hinata received a dozen or so of the letters, all song lyrics. It got to the point where Yachi taught him how to use Google Translate on his own to figure out their meaning. She was disappointed that she wouldn't be helping as much but with so many letters it seemed unfair to make Hinata wait until the weekend and she couldn't spare all the time. He still called or emailed whenever he came across a more difficult passage which she gladly helped him with.

The only problem with receiving all the letters was no one could figure out why the person wrote them in English and why they never asked to meet Hinata in person. It was a subject of much discussion among the volleyball team and Hinata reassured them that he was happy with it. The songs were all wonderful and he'd even discovered a new genre of music he enjoyed in the process. Secretly, however, he too was disappointed. He dearly wanted to meet this mystery person and thank them for all their kind, beautiful words. In all honesty, Hinata was pretty sure he had fallen for whoever it was already. How could you not when someone was constantly showering you with praise, love, and attention. And Hinata really loved those things.

However, one day Hinata received a letter that nearly shorted out his little teenage mind.

-*-

The usual ball of never ending energy walked into the club room, quiet and thoughtful. Half the team still occupied the room, changing into their kits and talking. However, when Hinata walked in, quiet, it was noticed. Usually, when the human adrenaline machine arrived, it was with much more noise and fanfare. The door would be thrown open as he galloped in, breathless and still managing to shout. Yet, that day Hinata walked in, opening and shutting the door like a normal human, with no shouts of "Hi!" or gales of laughter, just quiet and thoughtful as he ambled over to his section of the club room and began changing his clothes as if he were the only person that existed. The talk in the room grew gradually more quiet as more people noticed, then it was still. All eyes were on Hinata. Even Tsukishima seemed surprised for once as he stood, t-shirt poised to be pulled on over his head.

"Hinata?" It was Yamaguchi who spoke first, gently, as if the orange-haired crow might suddenly crumble.

"Hm?" Hinata replied, his only change in expression raised eyebrows. He continued to change without looking at anyone. Yamaguchi tenderly touched his shoulder. "Everything okay?"

The freckled middle blockers light touch seemed to flip a switch and Hinata's face took on the shade of a bad sunburn. He looked at Yamaguchi with wide eyes and stuttered, "W-what? I-I'm fine, Y-Yamaguchi Why EVER WOULD THINK OTHERWISE!" The shrillness of his voice increased and Yamaguchi flinched, unsure what to do. He looked at the others for help, most shrugged. This was Hinata after all.

"Fuck, shrimp! Turn down the volume!" Tsukishima sneered and pulled his shirt on. "What's got you so jumpy, anyway?" He asked, his voice taking on a more gentler tone. Tanaka raised an eyebrow at him and Tsukishima looked back with an incredulous expression that said "What?"

Hinata looked at the usually sour giant blonde whose eyes had a hint of concern in them and, encouraged, stated, "Um, the last letter I got I translated it."

Their was a collective sigh as shoulders released tension. Hinata could be a drama queen at times. "Geez, Hinata!" Noya exclaimed with irritation. "Don't go givin' everyone heart attacks. We thought something bad had happened."

"But it did!" Hinata whined, a little too loudly. Everyone looked at him again, confused. "Something wrong with your letters?" Noya asked.

Hinata blushed again and looked at his feet while twisting his fingers nervously. "I don't know if I want to tell you all, you'll just make fun of me again."

Noya put a serious hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye, his Sempai-ness taking over. "Hinata, I am your Sempai and I would never tease you when it counts." Hinata's eyes grew as big as plates in adoration and gratefulness, sparkling in only that way Hinata's eyes could sparkle. "Thank you, Noya-Sempai!" His face darkened again. "Still, its embarrassing."

"Come on, Hinata, spit it out. You have us on the edge of our seats!" Tanaka growled in frustration.

Hinata flinched then sighed. "I think my mystery person wants to have sex." His face heated to a degree anyone could have roasted marshmallows on his forehead, at this rate he was gonna bust a blood vessel in his face. The entire club room was so quiet Hinata worried they'd all hear his pounding heart.

Someone coughed and Noya spoke up, his voice was thin as he strained against he compulsion to laugh. "Hinata, what makes you think that?"

He couldn't look at any of them but he pulled a sheet of paper out of his bag that was covered in his messy scrawling and he read from it. "The letter itself only had this verse on it:

 **You don't have to be rich to be my girl**  
**You don't have to be cool to rule my world**  
**Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with**  
**I just want your extra time and your kiss".**

Some of the guys chuckled as Hinata paused. Most of the team considered the short spiker to be extremely pure for a teenager. "I can see where you could interpret that...um...sexually." Yamaguchi replied, blushing out of embarrassment.

Hinata rolled his eyes and huffed. "Jesus! I'm not _that_ innocent!" Then his cheeks darkened again at realizing what he admitted, or sort of admitted. Most of the other boys in the room blushed furiously as well while Tanaka raised an eyebrow and snickered. "Anyway..." Hinata continued and he read the rest of the lyrics. As he had done with all the other songs he'd translated, he made a copy for himself so he could re-read them. After the first letter, he hadn't shared anymore with the exception of Yachi, wanting to keep the words for himself. He had only brought this translation along because it had been so startling and he had planned to ask one of the Sempai about it. Privately. Now, as he read lyrics to them that straightforwardly expressed how much the singer wanted to make love to the subject, their snickers became less and grew more uncomfortable, blushing like mad. Some buried their faces in hands, others looked everywhere but at Hinata. Tanaka and Noya were barely hiding squeaks of laughter behind their hands while Yamaguchi was swallowing uncontrollably and...sweating ? Tsukishima was the most surprising, Hinata noticed as he finished and folded the paper to put away. The usually sarcastic blonde, who had a rude comment for all situations looked completely and utterly mortified. Hinata could tell the normally stoic blonde was struggling to maintain his composure. Was he that sensitive to sex stuff?

Hinata stood there before them, his hands just hanging at his sides. He had warned them.

Suddenly the club room door flew open and Kageyama poked his head in growling about how the Coach was yelling up a storm about late captains. He stopped as he noticed the atmosphere and Tanaka and Noya lost it. They collapsed on the floor, a pile of laughing limbs. Their mirth was such that Tanaka was crying and Noya was yelling about how he was going to pee if he didn't quit. Hinata was blushing again not looking at them.

"What the-" Kageyama started as he pulled himself fully into the room, his face a mixture of humor, anger, and confusion as he observed the odd scene before him.

"Stupid, stupid Hinata!" That was Tsukishima, his eloquence suddenly nonexistent, as he unexpectedly started shouting and pushing past Kageyama, one shoe on his foot and carrying his other. The two on the floor stopped laughing, or at least reduced themselves to chuckling while Hinata stared after the angry, blonde completely perplexed by his outburst. What had he done?

"Okay, what the fuck happened? What did I miss?" Kageyama demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Tanaka managed to pick himself up off the floor pulling Noya up with him. He patted Hinata on the shoulder, still chuckling to himself. "Nothing that Hinata's virginity couldn't solve." That got Noya going again but he managed to continue out the door singing "Hinata's gonna get some!" Between breaths of giggling.

"Oi! Fuck you guys!" Hinata yelled, angry at their teasing.

The rest of the team followed suit, no one looking at Hinata as they passed. He thought to himself that was the last time he shared ANYTHING personal with his so-called friends. Hinata finished changing as he fumed. He was the one getting sex letters. If anything you'd think a team of dudes would be shaking your hand! Right?! He huffed again and nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Kageyama was standing next to him but he had his hands up, defensive.

"You want to make fun of me too?" He snapped.

"What happened, Hinata?" Kageyama was genuinely feeling sorry for his friend. The shorter sighed and handed over the lyrics without looking at the taller raven and continued changing for practice.

"Yeah, this is kinda gross." He heard Kageyama say when he had finished reading. "Is this person a pervert?"

"Is it so hard to believe that someone out there might be interested in doing..." He waved a hand in the direction of the paper, "...that...with me?" He growled before snatching the lyrics out of his friend's hand. Kageyama only eyed him calmly. "Well, it's not something I think about." Hinata looked at him, surprised. "You don't think about sex?"

"Eh?! Wha-of course I- I mean I don't think about you...you know...!" Kageyama's cheeks lightened slightly as he looked away and Hinata laughed. "Well that's a relief." He grinned. Kageyama looked at him and grinned back. "If your finished, maybe we could go practice now." Hinata was truly thankful in that moment for a friend like the dark-haired setter. "Yeah, lets go."

Kageyama grabbed Hinata and wrapped an arm around his neck as the smaller was closing the door and rubbed his knuckles in Hinata's already unruly orange hair. "Oi! Bastard! Stop that!"

"Hey Hinata?"

"Yeah Kageyama?"

"Congrats on finding someone interested enough to bang your tiny ass."

"Fuck you, Bakageyama!"

-*-

Hinata did not revive another letter for several days. He was beginning to worry his mystery lover had lost interest and they hadn't even had a real conversation. This thought was making him sad and to top it off Tsukishima had been more of an ass to him than usual. He still couldn't figure out what he had done that day in the club room and every time he tried he was met with the most menacing glares that had him retreating to the safety of Kageyama's back for shelter. More than once Tanaka had to yell at Tsukishima to stop frightening him. Practices were just not as fun lately.

A week later, when Hinata had all but given up on the letters, another showed up in his cubby. He could not help the overflowing joy that flooded his little soul when he saw it. Even though he was a little hesitant to translate this one out of fear of finding something dirtier, he was still happy whoever the sender was had not given up. Conversely, Tsukishima's attitude seemed to lose much of the bite it had as he appeared to have dislodged whatever bug had been up his butt lately. Hinata was feeling incredibly lucky at his good fortune. Practice that day went exceptionally well and to top it off when he got home and had translated the letter (an activity that took longer than usual because of the complexity of the lyrics and he wondered if the sender had purposefully increased the difficulty just to be mean) he found the song was rather tame and he breathed a sigh of relief. Things were back to normal.

Or so he thought. It was four days later when everything came crumbling down.

-*-

He had just placed another letter in his bag for the evening and was heading to bed. He was humming to himself, something he only did when feeling especially good about something. And he had been feeling really good lately. He was amazed at how well things had worked out so far. If he had known he could express his feelings anonymously like this he might have done it sooner. He felt so...light. The pressure behind the dam had receded to a manageable proportion and life had become tolerable. No more agonizing. No more pining away his nights feeling sorry for himself.

Tsukishima placed his glasses on his desk and grabbed his headphones. He turned off the light and climbed into bed smiling. He felt...hopeful.

-*-

The next morning everyone was in the club room as usual before practice. People yawned and complained about the early hour but the atmosphere was generally peaceful. Hinata was grouching about how much he really wished his secret admirer would ask to meet while a few of the teens groaned and he pouted. This was his new thing. After receiving upward of two dozen letters in almost a month he was dying to meet this person and couldn't understand that if they could say such wonderful things to him, why didn't they want to meet.

Tsukishima, having had enough of his complaining, turned on him, and without the viciousness behind his words, as one might expect, he began to lecture Hinata.

The moment the golden-eyed blocker looked at Hinata the ball of nervous energy jumped into a fighting stance and put his fists up. "Wanna go, string bean?!"

Tsukishima sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses and closed his eyes. "Hinata, did it ever occur to you that perhaps this individual is uncomfortable with meeting you in person?" He opened his eyes and looked at the orange-haired energy ball.

A dozen eyes turned to them to watch and listen, all surprised that Tsukishima was being so civil. The blonde ignored them and focused on the orange bunny before him. Hinata just gazed up at him, amber eyes wide and confused. "Why? I don't bite."  
Tsukishima nearly chuckled and had to put in a little extra effort to maintain a scowl. "Maybe it's not about you. Maybe they just needed to tell you how they feel."

Those amber eyes now widened with sort-of- understanding, his mouth creating a perfect O. Satisfied that Hinata finally got it he turned to leave.

"But what about my feelings?"

Tsukishima stopped at the door, hand on the knob, and only slightly turned his head, a sign that Hinata had his attention.

"What if I have things I need to say? I am not good at writing letters and such, plus I prefer to tell people to their face how I feel. What if I want to tell them thank you and how much I enjoy their words, even if I don't always understand what they are trying to say?"

Tsukishima opened the door to leave. "Not everyone is as open as you, Hinata." He replied, so quietly his answer almost went unheard in the silence of the club room.

"What if want to return their feelings?"

Tsukishima kept walking out the door.

-*-

Yamaguchi watched his best friend walk away. Everyone in the room was surprised at the semi-confrontation but just chalked it up to Tsukishima being Tsukishima. On his best days he was a quiet volcano, whose to say he's not dormant now? Miracles do happen, right? But, Yamaguchi knew better. You don't hang around the Master of Scowls for years and not pick up on subtle cues and Tsukishima's had been screaming at him recently. He hadn't said anything because he respected his friend's need to protect himself but since the "Kiss" incident, as it had so affectionately become to the chagrin of a certain orange-haired Ace, Yamaguchi was beginning to understand some of those signs. It started with the all too familiar songs and now he was sure he had put together the missing clues. He wished Suga was around to discuss these things with. That man had a sixth sense for these things. However, he was fairly certain he was right and he was not comforted at all by the fact.

If this did not end well for Tsukishima, Yamaguchi was certain his friend would disappear within himself for good.

-*-

_Hinata Shōyō._

Tsukishima walked toward the gym, his heart racing as if he'd ran a marathon. He knew he was blushing and for once he didn't care that his face looked as if it had been kissed a million times. It might as well have been.

_Hinata Shōyō._

He had no idea how his words had pierced Tsukishima's heart. How his desert had just sprung an oasis.

Hinata was known for his flying jumps in volleyball. However today, it was Tsukishima's turn.

Today, Tsukishima Kei was the one who was flying. All because the sun had shone on him.

And Hinata hadn't even known who he had spoken to.

-*-

That afternoon Hinata was heading to practice when he realized he'd forgot to check his cubby for another letter.Tsukishima's words had been rolling around in his head all that day. He still didn't understand but he accepted. However, Hinata being who he was, he was feeling like he was just going to have to take matters into his own hands. So, between his thoughts about what to do to get his own feelings across and school, Hinata had just plain neglected to check for another love letter.

It seemed fate decided to take control.

Hinata was quietly humming to himself as he approached the lockers for the shoes. As he began to turn the corner he was stopped short by the most surprising sight. Standing in front of his shoe cubby was none other than Tsukishima Kei. Hinata was about to call out when the blonde bean pole reached into his bag and pulled out an orange envelope. An envelop the same color as the ones Hinata had been receiving for weeks. Hinata gasped and Tsukishima stiffened, then Hinata threw himself against the side of the locker cursing his inability to control himself and hoping he wasn't seen.

After a few breaths he chanced a peak. Leaning only far enough to get a good view without being seen, he watched as Tsukishima straightened his shoes and tucked the letter beside them. Hinata chuckled under his breath. He had wondered why his shoes were always neatly placed when he knew he had a tendency to just stuff them in the cubby.

He continued to watch, fascinated. Tsukishima's hand slid to his shoe and he leaned his forehead against the locker.

Then Hinata saw a sight that will be burned into his brain for the rest of his life.

Tsukishima Kei was smiling. Not grinning. Not grimacing or smirking. SMILING. A natural smile that was full and...joyful.

Was that EVEN POSSIBLE?!

Hinata was transfixed. He was mesmerized. He was...captured.

In that moment, Hinata Shōyō experienced what could be considered a spiritual experience. Something in him came alive. Just like the day he saw the Little Giant flying to spike a ball at the Nationals, Hinata felt his entire existence light up. He was like a person dying in the desert and he had just found an oasis. He could die a thousands deaths to see that smile every day.

All this time he had considered his life pretty much complete. All except one small puzzle piece. And he had just happened on it. He hadn't even known it was something he wanted until now and he desperately wanted it.

Hinata didn't even know he had come out of his hiding place and spoken until Tsukishima swung around.

The smile disappeared and so did the light that came with it. It was if the beauty of the moon had been hidden behind storm clouds and darkness took over.

The look of abject horror was written all over Tsukishima's face. All of his carefully laid plans came crashing down around him and he knew he was going to drown beneath the onslaught. He couldn't even get out of the way.

Hinata, an unreadable expression on his face, continued to walk toward him. He was talking but Tsukishima couldn't hear anything he said, as if his ears had suddenly gone deaf. Hinata walked to his cubby and if Tsukishima could be anymore horrified, he was near panicking as smaller hands reached for the letter tucked away beside a dirty pair of shoes. He tried to stop him but his movements felt inhibited like he was trying to move through a thousand pounds water pressure.

Too late, Hinata had pulled out the letter and was now looking up at him, his expression confused. His amber eyes full of questions as terrified golden ones looked into them.

All of a sudden sound rushed into Tsukishima's ears, an assault on his senses, Hinata's voice breaking through. "Has it been you all this time?" His voice was gentle but it might as well have been knives to Tsukishima. He backed away, shaking his head. His heart was pounding and his breath coming in ragged gasps. He couldn't even come up with a lie, his brain had completely lost its ability to form a single coherent thought. Hinata's eyes darkened, "Don't lie, Tsukishima. Has it always been you?" The taller boy continued to back away, still shaking his head, gripping the strap of his school bag as if it were a lifeline.

How could this have happened? He was always so careful! Before the first class had even started he usually made sure to deliver the confounded letters. Except today. Today he'd been distracted by an errand and had not had a moment, so he rushed here before practice sure he'd be safe. He'd been too confident, having gotten away with it for so long. He'd let down his guard. Now Hinata was here and had seen him. Witnessed his humiliation firsthand and he couldn't even lie.

"Tsukishima, please..." Hinata stepped forward.

Tsukishima Kei turned and ran.

-*-

Hinata walked into the gym carrying the letter. His head and heart was a jumbled mess. What had just happened?! He knew what he saw but the rest was all so...confusing. And those feelings! A flash of memory and Tsukishima's smile appeared before his eyes and he was flooded with the same emotions that nearly swallowed him when he first glimpsed it. Hinata shook his head. Someone was yelling at him but he could not hear them, he could not focus. All he could see was Tsukishima planting one of his letters in Hinata's shoe box. And that smile! Oh god! That wonderful, beautiful, intoxicating smile. Hinata put his hand to his head and ran it through his hair looking around but not really seeing anything. Then Yamaguchi was in front of him asking about Tsukishima. Hinata stared at him for a moment, confused, eyes unfocused. Suddenly his pupils sharpened and he SAW Yamaguchi before him.

"Hinata, where's Kei?!"

"But he doesn't even LIKE me!" Was all he could respond.

Yamaguchi's eyes widened in panic. "Oh god! No!" And like Tsukishima, the mousey-haired best friend of the tall blonde ran out the door, leaving Hinata alone.

"Hinata! Why aren't you dressed?! And where the hell did Yamaguchi just run off to?!"

"Has anyone seen Tsukishima?"

-*-

Yamaguchi ran like he'd never run before. He'd known it was going to happen. He knew Hinata would eventually find out. No matter how hard his friend planned, luck was always on that boy's side. He knew that Tsukishima was going to need him. So he ran.

He made it to the Tsukishima household in record time where he banged on the door as he gasped for air.

Tsukishima's mother answered quickly. "Sorry to bother you but has Tsuki come home?!" He was nearly yelling, which was rude, but he didn't care. Tsukishima's mother nodded her head, stepping aside to let the thinner boy past. "Did something happen? I wasn't expecting him home for a few hours yet but then he came barreling through and went straight to his room. He won't even answer me." Yamaguchi didn't even reply but threw off his shoes, nearly tripping, as he made a mad dash up the stairs, two at a time. When he got to Tsukishima's bedroom he took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself and gently knocked. "Tsuki?" He called quietly.

It was a moment that felt like an eternity then he heard a click as the door was unlocked though left closed. Yamaguchi slowly opened the door to find his best friend seated on the floor against his bed, knees drawn up and his head in his hands. He didn't look up when Yamaguchi closed the door behind him. A moment later there was another knock and they heard Tsukishima's mother ask, "Everything okay boys?" Yamaguchi stuck his head out of the door and whispered a few words to her. She nodded and asked if they wanted anything. He replied they didn't and thanked her, hoping his current politeness would cover whatever offense he caused upon his arrival. She just looked worried as she tried to peer around Yamaguchi to look at her son. For the first time in his life Yamaguchi was stern. He asked her for some privacy and that he would take care of her youngest boy. She looked at Yamaguchi, eyes wide, but nodded and told him that if he needed her she would be downstairs. Again he thanked her and closed the door.

"Thanks." Yamaguchi turned around to look at Tsukishima. He had not moved. "Are you okay?" The thing about their friendship was that very little ever needed to be said. While Yamaguchi did do most of the talking it was only because there'd exist nothing but silence and he constantly felt the need to remind his best friend that words are meant to be used, not hidden. However, in times like this, excess words were not needed. Not when they both knew why they were here.

"Tsuki?" For the first time, the blonde looked up. Those gold eyes met Yamaguchi's grey-brown. The despair and fear reflected in them nearly made Yamaguchi gasp. He took a hesitant step forward. "Tsuki, you okay?" He kept moving toward his friend who just watched him.

Tsukishima shook his head but didn't say anything. He bit his lip and Yamaguchi could see tears forming. Yamaguchi kneeled down before his friend and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Tadashi!" It was a whisper but it was one that carried with so much heart ache. Then the tears came. Slowly at first, and as Yamaguchi wrapped his arms around his friend the dam broke. Tsukishima Kei wrapped his arms around the only person he'd ever let see him in this state and sobbed. His broken cries filled the room as Yamaguchi rubbed his head, his back, and whispered in his ear that everything would eventually be okay.

Tsukishima openly wept for the first time in years. All his pain and disappointment, his heart break, flooding out of him as the dam he built finally tumbled to be swept away in the torrent.

It was a long time before the sea emptied itself.

-*-

Tsukishima didn't return to school for several days. Even his teammates grew worried about his absences, inquiring about it to Yamaguchi who simply stated that his friend was suffering from the flu and thanked them for their concern. The weather was growing colder anyway so they all easily believed it. Still, it was surprising because Tsukishima rarely missed school or practice.

The only other person who knew the truth was Hinata and he was doing his best to avoid all things Yamaguchi. The freckled faced teen didn't give a shit. If he'd had the strength he'd have strangled that little ball of heartbreak himself. Because of him, Yamaguchi worried his closest friend would never recover.

Recovery was an odd word, as if Tsukishima had suffered some strange illness, which all things considered was not far from the truth. In a perfect world, Tsukishima could claim he recently contracted a debilitating and fatal illness and would never have to leave the safety of his bed where he has been, burrowed beneath layers of warm blankets and self-pity. However, Tsukishima Kei had not spent years perfecting his mask of disinterest for nothing and now was his greatest test. Unless he wanted to fail school he had to return eventually. He also wasn't keen on being tossed off the volleyball team either. It was his only other passion with the exception of music, regardless of a certain red-headed monster of temptation. In the end, it looked like forced "recovery" was his only option.

Some people might obsess about how to act around their crush after they had been humiliated but not Tsukishima. Once he'd made up his mind to return to his life, such as it was, he refused to allow himself to wallow any longer. He swore he would return to some semblance of normality, whether it killed him in the process or not. Besides, after a year and a half of torturing the orange annoyance, why change? It made a good cover and if anything, he had even more reason to despise him.

His teammates were genuinely happy to see him upon his return and he greeted them with his usual coolness. They were not bothered, they were only glad things were getting back to normal. He knew that Yamaguchi had covered for him while he had been indisposed but a few had asked questions sensing something huge had happened, however, Tsukishima shut them down with one of his trademark glowering stares and nothing more was said.

The only exception was Hinata. He found out the little shit had been more reserved of late and for some weird reason, knowing that had made the heartbroken blonde feel a little smug, as if Hinata's discomfort was it's own vengeance.However, on a few occasions the annoying ball of idiocy attempted to approach him, not always during practice, and Tsukishima either flat out ignored him or pissed him off until he walked away, frustrated and mumbling to himself. For Tsukishima, if all that was left was his smarting pride, then so be it. Hinata would get nothing else from him.

Yet, it was no use lying. Tsukishima knew he was less angry with Hinata than with himself. He had made the grave mistake of letting hope in and he had been crushed beneath the lie. But in order to survive he had to do this. He could not allow Hinata to get near. He could not allow him to speak. He did not think he'd survive having Hinata explain to him why he could not return his feelings. The thought of that was too much to bear and would send him in to near panic attacks. He already knew what his answer would be anyway, why suffer any more abuse?

It was too bad, too, because Hinata really wanted to speak to him.

-*-

The second semester began for the students of the Miyagi Prefecture. Fall was in full swing and the Karasuno volleyball team was preparing for the Qualifying tournament that would determine whether they went to Nationals again this year.

Despite a few hiccups, the new first years had settled in fairly well and they were all feeling pretty satisfied as a team. Everyone felt they had a strong chance to get to Nationals this year and testosterone levels were high as competition drew near.

In the weeks before the tournament, Hinata was unable to completely focus. Not that he was playing poorly, he'd forced himself to focus more than ever. Winning was his priority. However, that didn't mean Tsukishima and their confrontation did not remain in the back of his mind at all times and in quiet moments, alone, he would think about what had happened.

It also didn't help that his teammates sporadically asked him about his secret admirer since Hinata ceased talking about it. The situation was once made nearly unbearable when one of the first years had inquired about the situation the club room after practice one day. Hinata had been caught off guard and stuttered through an explanation. Out of the corner of his eye he had observed Tsukishima stiffen momentarily before resuming changing with robot-like movements and Yamaguchi send death glares in his direction. He had briefly thought about saying exactly what he felt right then except the aura around Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had been dark and ominous and he had been slightly afraid for his life, so he opted to stammer over some vague reason about the mystery person having lost interest. That didn't stop Tsukishima from stomping out of the club room, roughly bumping into Hinata, and then insulting his height while his best friend smirked evilly at him as they left. Hinata thought the giant asshole was being a bit immature but had difficulty feeling totally angry with him since it was most likely hurt feelings that made him do it.

Hinata was not one to suppress his emotions. Part of his appeal, much to his irritation, was how he pretty much wore himself on his sleeve. He was an open book, even if it did get him in trouble at times. However, he never did see the point in hiding things. Life was meant to be conquered and he was a warrior.However, Tsukishima's reluctance to speak with him was impeding Hinata's need to share his feelings and the inability to do so made the poor Ace feel like a balloon with too much air in it and he needed to let some out before he popped.

The little Apollo had come to terms with the fact Tsukishima was a boy...a boy who liked him. Hinata had never had reason to question his sexuality before or even give much thought regarding it. When he had given it serious thought, surprisingly he found that the giant's gender made very little difference to him. Even if it had been anonymously, Tsukishima had laid himself bare and Hinata found his heart responding. Yet a cruel twist of fate had ripped away his chance to answer him. It was a sore point with him but if Tsukishima wouldn't stay still or allow him to speak without trying to tear him down with savage words, then how was he supposed to let him know that he loved him back?For someone so smart, that bean pole could be awfully stupid.

Hinata was lying on his bed with his back on his mattress and his legs in the air, resting against the wall. He wiggled his feet and huffed. He was frustrated. Was this how love was supposed to be? Everything he had ever heard (watched in Romaric movies) stated love was supposed to be all GWAHH AND BLAM! Yet, how would he really know without a basis for comparison? He sighed.

Suddenly he flipped himself over and jumped up. He was going for a run, he did all his best thinking as his feet pounded the pavement. He quickly threw on some sweats and a hoodie and grabbed his jacket. Even though it was still early in the season, the day had been especially cold. Like Tsukishima's selfish little heart. Who doesn't let people express their feelings? Seriously?!

He grabbed his gloves, hat, and scarf and scribbled down a note in case his parents woke and wondered where he'd gone. He put on his shoes and stepped out into the chilly air, his breath coming in puffs of steam. He tried to make a heart but failed. He sighed.

He'd been doing a lot of that lately, sighing. He was tired of it. He'd rather be happy. Sunshine was not meant to be hidden behind dark clouds.

Hinata stepped out onto the sidewalk and took off. It wasn't long before he found his rhythm, runner's high kicking in. The bundled up crow passed homes and quiet streets. It was getting late, it was nearly 8:30pm when he left and people were settling in for the night, putting children to bed, relaxing in front of the television, or simply saying goodnight. Hinata missed a lot of this as tunnel vision took over. He lost himself to the feel of hard asphalt beneath his shoes, cold air whipping past his face, and memories of Tsukishima's smile in his mind. He breathed long and slow, his body used to heavy activity. He was barely sweating when he'd run an hour.

He'd felt content to let his feet carry him while his mind wandered and they did, straight into town. He was jogging in place while at a stop light when he saw a familiar face coming out of a local market. It was Yamaguchi and he was carrying a bag of what possibly contained food. Hinata stopped jogging and watched for a moment. Suddenly the light changed and at the same time, so did the light bulb in his little orange head. Hinata giggled and turned toward Yamaguchi.

"Yamaguchi!"

The freckled-faced pinch server turned at the sound of his name being called. Who would be out here at this time of night. Besides himself, of course. It didn't take him long to recognize the jogging ball of energy as it closed in on him. He shook his head. That kid never stopped moving. He could not understand how Tsukishima could have fallen for someone like him, but well, it wasn't his heart either. You love who you love.

Remembering Tsukishima and what the little maggot had done to his friend, he waited, albeit stiffly, and tried to set his face in the same passive expression as his friend. He practiced it a lot at home but this was the first he'd be using it on someone other than himself.

Hinata stopped before him smiling, but his smile faltered when he saw Yamaguchi's face. "Yamaguchi, are you alright? You look kinda ill?"

The taller boy huffed, he was never good at impassive. Oh well. "What can I help you with, Hinata?"

For a moment it seemed as if the boy would change his mind, but then he shook his head, obviously coming to a decision.

"I need your help with something."

Yamaguchi met his gaze, his amber eyes on fire and so intense that Yamaguchi didn't have the heart...or the nerve...to say no. He sighed. He handed one of the grocery bags to the smaller teammate. "Can you help me carry these?" Hinata happily took a few of them effectively relieving Yamaguchi of the heavy weight. "If you can come over I can see what I can do."

Hinata beamed. They started in the direction of Yamaguchi's home.

"Got any snacks in these bags?"

-*-

The day of the qualifying tournaments were upon them. The tension was like a hive of bees buzzing through the team, excitement, nervousness, and even panic crowding them like a tangled net. The morning of the competition they all met at the school and stood in the parking lot as they waited on Takeda Sensei to bring the bus around. It was another cold morning and some of them stomped their feet or jumped in place trying to keep themselves warm.

Tsukishima was there, standing off to one side with Yamaguchi, headphones covering his ears. He'd been especially isolated recently but the team was content to let him be. His practice games were on point and most figured this was how he was preparing for the upcoming matches.

Hinata was standing with Kageyama and a few others eagerly discussing the upcoming match and giving it out last minute pointers. Every so often, Hinata would glance over to look at Tsukishima and catch Yamaguchi's eye and something would pass between them.

Kageyama noticed at one point and elbowed his little friend. "Why do you keep staring at the asshole?"

Hinata clicked his tongue. "Tch. Don't be rude, Bakageyama."

"Stupid Hinata."

"Dick."

"Shorty."

Hinata jabbed the raven in the side who in turn pushed his face. It was all laughs until it became a competition, as most things did with these two, then their captain yelled at them to stop it before Kageyama broke Hinata. The little sun just stuck his tongue out.

The bus arrived, everything was packed away, and everyone filed on board to find seats. It was a mostly quiet ride as it was early and they were conserving their energy for the battle ahead.

In what seemed like no time, they arrived at their destination. They filed out and gathered their bags. As a team they headed indoors, the Crows of Karasuno, amid whispers of awe and jealousy, and they trekked confidently to the gym where their first game would be held. They changed and completed their stretches. Their first match would be held within the hour and against a school less powerful than they. It wasn't bragging if it was true.

The boys gathered in the gym to warm up, watching the other school for weak and strong players, both teams attempting to analyze the other. Eventually the whistle blew alerting them to game time and they filed up to pay their respects and took their places. The final whistle blew and the game was on.

Karasuno won 25-18. It was a good game, a fun game, but it was practice. Next up was Aoba Jousai a strong team.

They rested up, stretched more, ate little. In no time they were ready for warm ups. Too soon the whistle blew again and again. Game.

They win their second match after three sets, 39-37. They were exhausted but elated. They could continue to fight. Next was the final bid for Nationals but they had a few days.

Now it was time to return home.

-*-

Tsukishima was feeling better than he had in a while. His blocking skills had greatly improved since his time as a first year who didn't give a shit. Since actually putting in effort he had grown to really love the game and accepted he was good at it. Because this new found confidence, he had been able to block several of the opponents spikes throughout the game and score quite a few points of his own.

The only downside of the whole thing was for every success he'd always look back to see those amber eyes gleaming and his face alight with that stupidly perfect smile. In the last few weeks, Tsukishima had perfected the art of not letting Hinata Shōyō get to him in order to stay focused, no matter how hard his heart beat and how much he loved it when that bright light was directed his way. It was difficult, sometimes nearly impossible, but he'd managed it.

He had changed and was heading to the bus with the others when he heard someone yell, "The Moon has risen!" The whole team stopped to look for the voice but it was lost in the slowly dwindling crowds. Tsukishima allowed himself to grin a little as some of his teammates slapped him on the back copying the unknown voice. Tsukishima caught Hinata's eye, he was beaming up at him as if he'd set the world. It was nearly too much for Tsukishima whose chest tightened from a sense of loss. He quickly looked away and didn't see the disappointed tint that colored the amber eyes.

Outside it was still cold, winter was going to come early that year. A breeze had picked up, swirling leaves in the air as if they were dancing in celebration of Karasuno's victory. The team was chattering and laughing, still running off adrenaline of the previous last hours. Tsukishima was one of the last to load his sports bag in the storage compartment of the bus.

-*-

Hinata played hard. As usual. He would never give less than his all, he cared only to be the last on the court; the strongest team. It paid off.

He was flying, his team was just one step away from Nationals. He'd done his best as the Greatest Decoy and Ace and opened up a path for his team to score point after point. He'd flown, spread his wings, and shown this opposition that even height can be overcome when you have the players to back you up.

He'd also watched Tsukishima as he scored and blocked his giant heart out. As taboo as it may be, he loved him, with everything his little soul had and for every point taken or stolen, Hinata swelled with pride to see how far the reluctant middle blocker had come.

Only, Tsukishima could not share his joy. Every look those gold eyes sent his way was drenched in pain and loss. He tried to hide it but love has a way of stripping barriers and Hinata saw it all and each time it felt like he'd been punched in the gut or slapped in the face. If Hinata had not had the game to focus on, he's sure he would have just curled up in the fetal position and cried.

In the corridor, as the team walked toward the doors to board their bus, someone had hollered, "The Moon has risen!" And Hinata watched Tsukishima, his golden-eyed warrior, nearly float off the ground with pride. Okay, well, maybe not his Tsukishima...yet. However, Hinata nearly lost all hope when Tsukishima locked eyes with him. All Hinata saw, deep within the recesses of that molten look, was fear. Then Tsukishima looked away and Hinata wanted to sob. He wanted to stop right there and beg forgiveness for his stupidity. But he waited, he had a plan and he was going to see it through. So he kept quiet and followed his team outside.

-*-

Tsukishima was about to board the bus when the door was slammed in his face. He stood there momentarily, shocked into idiotic paralysis. Then he scowled and looked inside while a dozen or so more looked back, grinning. What the fuck was going on?! He was cold and tired and wanted to sit for more than ten minutes. Yamaguchi caught his eye and he was pointing behind him and saying something.

"What?" Tsukishima yelled back.

"Turn around."

Fuck. He did not want to do this right now. He slowly turned and, of course, there was Hinata standing in the cold, his ridiculous beanie on his ridiculous head, cheeks painted red from the cold. He was ringing his gloves in his hands nervously. Tsukishima hated himself but he had to admit he looked fucking adorable.He huffed in mock irritation as his heart rate sped up and he started to panic. Whatever was happening he was stuck, forcefully having to confront the boy he loved and right now he wasn't sure he could do this.

Tsukishima refused to allow himself hope so he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the door of the bus and put in his most fearsome annoyed expression. There were shuddering noises as their team opened windows creating an audience for the two. _Great._

Hinata looked up and looked at the bus, searching for Yamaguchi. Now that he was here his nervousness was overwhelming him. What if Tsukishima laughed at him? Well, of course he would laugh at him, that was a given. But what if it was meanly? He found Yamaguchi, his brown head resting on arms that were crossed over the window. He was grinning broadly and he nodded. "You can do it."

Tsukishima scowled, so he was in on this. He told himself that he and his so-called friend were gonna have a long talk about loyalty when they got home. He sighed, his attention on the orange ball of nervous energy standing ten feet away. "What do you want, shrimp?" He meant it to come out harsher than it did and he cringed. His hope was showing.

Hinata coughed and took a deep breath and raised sparkling amber eyes to meet molten gold-brown. YOLO and all that.

In very broken and bad English Hinata started.

 **You have to fly around the world all day**  
**To keep the sun upon your face**  
**I'd like to come and comfort you**  
**But I'd be blinded by the blue**

 **You have the Sun**  
**I have the Moon**

At any other time Tsukishima would have laughed his ass off at his extremely pathetic attempt at speaking English, but he got the gist of the message and he stood rooted to the ground, frozen, staring into those deep wells of fire and light.

His hands had fallen to his side and his mouth had dropped wide open. Was Hinata confessing? To him? Now?! Tsukishima's brain momentarily shut down. Short circuited. He wasn't sure if he'd recover. Those were lyrics just like he'd given to Hinata in all those cards and delivered in English. English! God love him, but he knew that boy wasn't smart enough to come up with something that fucking...romantic...on his own.

Hinata stood there, a little vulnerable. He'd tossed the ball to Tsukishima and now it was his turn to serve or not. Hinata was trembling and not from the cold.

"I-I don't understand.." Tsukishima had abandoned any attempt at indifference and coolness, not that he could have kept his cool at this moment, he was too busy struggling to comprehend the situation. He really wanted to hope but his lifeboat, his fear, would not let him swim out into the waters just yet.

Hinata was somewhat relieved that Tsukishima had not reacted negatively to his own attempt to romance him. However, that's not to say his reaction was overwhelmingly positive which still cause some mild discomfort for Hinata, yet, he could see his beloved struggle with his predicament. He could tell he wanted to believe but he had barricaded himself behind his walls again and was too afraid to come out. Hinata was afraid that his intention might not have made it through, he had attempted to speak a different language. Not too mention he was confessing in said language. He decided on the direct approach.This time in their native tongue.

"I like you, Tsuki." Hinata grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Well, actually I think it's more than simple like but let's just start there for now."

Tsukishima's knees were feeling weak. If this was a prank it was cruel. The logical side of him was insisting Yamaguchi, his closest and best friend, would never participate in something as evil as screwing with his emotions, so as confirmation he turned his head and looked for Yamaguchi among the faces hanging out the window. When he found him he was beaming his goofy Yamaguchi smile. "He came to me, Kei. This was his idea." Tsukishima snorted, then slapped a hand over his mouth. It was an automatic reaction to all things Shrimpy.

He looked back at Hinata who was now grinning. Tsukishima shook his head and looked at the ground. "You rejected me." He whispered.

"What?!" Hinata yelled like a deaf old man.

He didn't want to repeat it a second time. He glanced at the red head then looked away and spoke slightly louder. "You...rejected me."

"WHAA!" Hinata's loud personality reared its ugly head. "I did no such thing! If I remember correctly, you freaked and ran away." A few of their teammates giggled, the thought of the scary blonde giant running away from the fire ant. Tsukishima glared at Hinata. He jumped and squeaked. "Sorry, Tsukishima."

The moment allowed Tsukishima to regain some composure. "So what do you expect me to do?" His characteristic sadism slipping out as he desperately tried to control a part of the situation.

Hinata groaned in exasperation. "Oh for fuck's sake, Tsukishima Kei! Are you seriously gonna play hard to get?! Now?!"

Tsukishima's eyes widened in surprise but he made no other movements. Hinata never ceased to surprise him.

Hinata sighed and suddenly closed the distance between the two, gripping Tsukishima by the front of his jacket and yanking him down. Except Tsukishima was unprepared and Hinata miscalculated and they both got tangled up, Tsukishima falling heavily onto the shorter, orange crow. Laughter erupted from the bus.

"Are you all right?" Tsukishima asked as he eased himself back and off Hinata who raised himself up on one elbow in order to rub the back of his head and winced. "Ow! Shit that hurt. You're as heavy as you look."

Tsukishima bristled. "If your impulsive ass had not jumped me-" he never finished that sentence. For the second time in a few minutes, Hinata Shōyō caused him physical discomfort. Before he could think, Hinata had smashed their faces together, teeth connecting with a small clack and noses squished. But Tsukishima didn't care. It was the most perfect kiss ever. It was his first and it had been with Hinata, the boy he'd been in love with since he first came to Karasuno.

Hinata pulled back, Tsukishima's lips following of their own free will. He hadn't been quite done, thank you very much. Hinata giggled and the bus behind them exploded in shouts, catcalls, whistles, and a lot of laughter. Neither boy heard anything.

Tsukishima stared into those brilliant amber eyes that gazed back as intense as if the blonde were looking straight into the sun. Hinata gazed back, golden eyes bright and alight with their own fire. The little ball of sun fire burst into a blazing smile and Tsukishima tried, he really fought it, but he could not stop the tears that began to stream down his cheeks, his little dessert erupting into a vast oasis. All because of one little ball of perpetual energy. His own private sun.

Hinata didn't lose his smile as Tsukishima let the tears fall. His expression became softer, more intimate. He brought a hand up and ran his thumb under one eye collecting Tsukishima's tears before cupping a soft cheek. The blonde nuzzled the hand that held him never breaking eye contact. The hand was warm, despite the cold, and calloused from months of smacking volleyballs. It was perfect. Everything was perfect.

"I love you, Kei."

Tsukishima looked into Hinata's bright eyes, the depths from which the sun itself rose and didn't doubt it.

He smiled, a genuine smile that had bubbled up from a newly discovered spring in his heart. "I love you too."

Hinata had waited for this moment. He felt his small and insignificant life had led up to this one insignificant moment that was earth shattering for him. All the animosity between them, all a show to hide the feelings behind them. And then Tsukishima smiled. The smile. The one that set Hinata on fire and lit the stars. His own personal Moon. If he had anything to do with it, it would never set again.

This time it was Tsukishima who kissed Hinata. This time there was less teeth but twice the passion. The world had disappeared for the two boys who'd toppled to the ground and into each other.

The horn on the bus honked making the two jump and giggle into the kiss but it'd take more than that to stop them.

"Hey! Lovebirds!" Coach called from the door, "As great as this is and all, I guess, you think you could bring it inside. Well don't bring that inside, we have to keep it PG. But, you know...HEY DUMBASSES! GET THE FUCK IN THE BUS! Jesus!"

-*-

They were on their first official date. They'd gone to dinner and were now relaxing on a bench in a local park. It was slightly warmer than it had been but Hinata had hot chocolate and Tsukishima, black tea with lots of sugar. They sat, Hinata's legs draped over Tsukishima's lap while the blonde rubbed light circles on thigh with his thumb. They were sharing ear buds the blonde had brought with him so Hinata could sample some more of Tsukishima's music collection. They'd found another common interest besides volleyball.

Tsukishima, under duress, was detailing his change of heart toward the little ball of sunshine. He was telling him about how he'd come to the conclusion that song lyrics would accomplish the task and Hinata was laughing and teasing, albeit gently. He loved hearing how Tsukishima fell for him and Hinata was rewarding (interrupting) him with a variety of kisses. Deep, passionate, short, and chaste. Tsukishima wasn't complaining.

The blonde stopped mid sentence at one point to ask, "How'd you come up with that song?"

"Hm?" Hinata had been preoccupied with kissing Tsuki's jawline. It was sending dangerous shivers up and down the blonde's spine.

"The song, Sho. Where'd it come from?"

Hinata reluctantly pulled back to gaze into his boyfriend's eyes. He pretended to be offended. "I can google you know."

Tsukishima smirked. "A monkey can google. But your about the size of one and climb just as well, so I guess it's no surprise there."

Hinata pinched his arm. "Dick."

Tsukishima grinned and leaned, connecting their mouths once again, tongues playfully wrestling each other. "Always." He breathlessly answered into Hinata's mouth.

Hinata jerked his head back, his eyes questioning. "That reminds me."

Tsukishima had not expected to be disconnected and his lips had followed. Hinata tended to do that a lot and he was wondering if it wasn't on purpose. He looked up, eyes half lidded. Gold eyes widened as they locked with a fiery, yet, mischievous amber gaze. "What's up?" He asked, wary.

"About that Prince song..."


End file.
